Corn-planter



(No Model.) l

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

M. GROSS. CORN PLANTER.

Patented July 30, 1895.

F7 /1 I f \55 @ZT I 565/5 4 (No Model.) 2v sheets-Sheena GROSS. GURNPLANTER.A

Patented July 30, 1895.

Igzgfr IMQ/27237?, Grass NrEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MANNIN GRoss, or BURLINGTON, KANSAS.`

CORN-PLANTE-R.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,648, dated July 30,18.95. Application tiled September 25, 1894- Serial No. 524,038 (Nomodel.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.:

Be itknown that I, MANNIN GROSS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Burlington, in the county of Coffey and State of Kansas,have in vented a new and useful Corn-Planter, of which the followingis aspecification.

My invention relates to corn-planters of the class known as check-rowplanters, and the objects in view are to provide a simple and effectivefurrow opening and closing attachment adapted to be applied to variousforms of planting-machines. Furthermore, to provide improved means forconveying the grain from a hopper to the point of delivery, to provideimproved means for operating the valve which controls the seed-dischargeopening, and to provide improved means for holding the check-row wire inoperative relation with the machine and for disconnecting the same atthe end of a row.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a plantingmechanism'embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sideview of the same.Fig.'3 is a similar view showing the opposite side of the machine withthe adjacent ground-wheel removed. Fig. 4 is a detail view inperspective of the furrow opening and closing attachment. Fig. 5 is adetail sectional view of the hopper or seed-box to show the means forcommunieating motion to the seed-disk. Fig. 6 isa detail view inperspective of the guide-arm for the check-row wire, showing the meansVfor mounting and holding the same in its operative position. Fig. 7 is adetail vertical section of one of the furrow-opening shovels andconnected parts. Fig. 8 is a detail front view of one of theholding-arms.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theIigures of the drawings.

The planter-frame comprises the side beams 1, the front cross-bar 2, theends of which are connected to the front ends of the side bars by meansof the forwardly-convergent braces 3, and a rear cross-beam 4, whichconnects the rear ends of the side beams 1. lArranged upon thisplanter-frame is a raised frame consisting of the forwardly-divergentbars 5, connected at their front ends to the braces 3 by means ofuprights 6, and at their rear ends to the cross-beam 4 by means of theuprights '7. Resting upon this raised frame is a seed-box or hopper 8,provided in its bottom with a rotary seed-disk 9, provided with a seriesof seed-openings 10, adapted to register successively with the oppositetwinopenings 11 in the iioor of the hopper. Gommunicating with theseopenings 1l are the conductors or tubes 12, and the under side of theseed-disk is provided with a series of gear-teeth 13, with which engagesthe beveled pinion 14 carried bythe counter-shaft 15. Arranged in rearof this planter-frame is the wheel or riding-frame having parallel sidebars 16, connected at their front ends by means of short chains 17 (seeFigs. 2 and 3) to the raised portion of the planter-frame and connectedat an intermediate point by a cross-bar 18, said cross-bar beingarranged slightly below the plane of the side bars 16 and beingconnected thereto by hangers 19. This cross-bar 18 supports theseat-standard 20, and the side bars in rear of said crossbar support thebearing-sleeves 21, in which is mounted the shaft 22 of the supportingand compressing wheels 23.

Attached to the shaft 22, between the adjacent ends of the sleeves 2l,is achain-wheel 24, which is connected by means of a chain 25 with achain-wheel 26 on the shaft 15, whereby motion is communicated from thedriving-shaft 22 to the counter-shaft 15 to operate the seed-disk.

Pivotally mounted upon the riding-frame adjacent to the seat-standard isa hand-lever 27, provided with a pawl 28 to engage a segmental rack 29,and having an arm 30, which is connected by means of a link 3l with therear end of the draft-beam 32, which is attached to the planter-frame.The connection between said link 31 and the draft-beam or tongue 32 isattained by means of a platespring 33, secured to the under side of therear end of the draft-beam and terminating in an eye 34, in which thelower extremity of said link is secured by a nut 35. It will` beunderstood that by means of this hand-lever the rear end of thedraft-beam may be elevated, and therefore the depth of the furrows ICOformed by the furrow-opening devices, hereinafter described, may beregulated to suit the nature of the grain which is to be planted.

Depending from the planter-frame, and preferably attached to the braces3, are standards 3G, provided with extensions or stems 37, which fit insockets provided therefor in the centers of the yokes 38, said yokessupporting the double-convexed marking and guiding rollers 89, which areadapted to precede the f arrow-opening devices.

Attached to the rear beam 4 of the planterframe are the standards 40 forthe furrowopening shovels 4l, the lower portions of said standards beinghollow or provided with cavities 42, in which terminate the conductorsor seed-tubes l2, whereby as the machine progresses the corn or othergrain is fed through the tubes 12 into the cavities 42. In addition tothe inlet-openings 43 of said cavities they are provided with outlet orfeed openings 44, covered by the controlling-valves 45, which terminateat their upper ends in ears 46, having perforations 47.

Mounted transversely on the planter-frame in suitable bearings at thefront ends of the side beams 1 is a rock-shaft 48, provided withdepending arms 49, and connecting-rods 5l are secured at their lowerextremities in the ears 46 by means of nuts, and are attached at theirupper ends to the arms 49. Connected to the rock-shaft, by means of asmall pendent arm 52, is a coiled return-spring 53, wherebytherock-shaft is normally held in position to close the controlling-valves45.

54 represents a check-row wire provided with the usual projections orbuttons 55, and 56 represents holding and guiding arms at theextremities of the rock-shaft 48, and are provided with bifurcated orforked upper extremities 57, for the reception of the checkrow wire.This holding arm is preferably pivoted at its lower end in a bifurcation58 at the end of the rock-shaft, and is held from swinging inward beyonda vertical position by a stop or stud 59, arranged in said bifurcation,and for holding the arm in its vertical or operative position, as shownclearly in Figs. 6 and 8,1 employ a spring-actuated pivotal latch 60,pivoted to one side of the bifurcation 58 and engaging a notch 61 in theopposite side thereof. Connected to this latch at its free end is a cord62, which extends to within convenient reach of the drivers seat, and bydrawing said cord the latch may be raised to disengage the holding-armto allow the latter to drop and release the check-row wire at the end ofeach row.

Each standard 40, which carries a furrowopening shovel 4l, is providedwith lateral braces G3 and with a front brace G4, which is connected atits forward extremity to one of the braces 3, and projecting rearwardlyfrom the standard is a horizontal arm 65,terminat ing in a cross-head66.- Adjustably connected `to the terminals of this cross-head 66 arethe standards 67 of the furrow-closing disks 68.

The upper ends of the standards G7 are provided with longitudinal slots69, through which extend bolts 70, for securing the standards to theterminals of ythe cross-head, and by loosening said bolts the standardsmay bc adj usted to cause the furrow-closing disks to throw the desiredamount of earth upon the grain.

The lower ends of the standards are provided with yokes or forks 71,between which the disks 68 are mounted, and the spindles 72-of the disksare fitted in vertical slots 73 in the arms of the yoke or fork 7l, andare secured at the desired adjustment therein by means of nuts 74. Thisconstitutes an additional meansvfor securing the desired adjustment ofthe disks.

Gnide-rolls 75 are arranged respectively in rear of the holding-arms atthe extremities of the rock-shaft 48, and the check-row wire is adaptedto run under said guide-rolls, whereby as the holding-arms are released,as above described, the downward pressure upon the wire which is exertedby said roll will cause the arm to swing into a position for releasingthe wire.

This being the construction of the improved planting mechanism, it willhe understood that the standard 40, with its attached furrowopeningshovel and the means for receiving the grain, the furrow-closing disksand attached parts, comprise an attachment which may be applied to anyplanting-machine, and that in connection therewith the means forimparting motion to the controlling-valve 45 may or may not be used,according to the requirements. If it is desired to plant continuously orlist the grain the controlling-valve may be omitted, and a listing-plowmay be attached to the standard 40 in lieu of the furrow-opening shovel41. This arrangement, however, will be understood without specificillustration thereof. It will be understood that various changes in theform, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resortedto without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a planter, thecombination with a supporting framework and ground-wheels, a hopperarranged upon the longitudinal center of the framework,feeding-mechanism for the hopper, a plurality of conveyors in communication with the hopper to which the grain is fed, and connectionsbetween said feedingmechanism and the ground-wheels, of standardssecured to the framework and provided with cavities with whichcommunicate the lower ends of said conveyers,furrow-opening shovelscarried by said standards, furrowclosing disks arranged in rear of theshovels, valves closing the rear open sides of the cavities in saidstandards, a rock-shaft mounted transversely on the framework,connections between said rock-shaft and the said valves,

a check-row wire guide-arm pivotally connected to said rock-shaft andadapted to be depressed to disengage the wire, and means for normallyholding said wire guide-arm in its upright or operative position,substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a framework and planting mechanism, of arock-shaft provided with a bifurcated extremity,a forked holding andguide arm pivotally mounted in the bifurcation of the rock-shaft andadapted to engage a check row wire, said holding and guide arm beingadapted to swing in the plane of the roclcshaft, a stop to limit theinward swinging movement of the holding and guide arm, and a springactuated latch arranged in the path of the holding and guide arm tonormally hold it in its operative position, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a supporting framework, a hopper, grain feedingmechanism, and means'for operating the grain feeding mechanism, of adouble-convexed marking or scoring roll, a hollow standard arranged inrear of said roll for carrying a furrow-opening shovel, the cavity inthe standard having an outlet or feed-opening and the cavity being incommunication with the outlet-opening of the hopper, furrow-closingdisks arranged in rear of the furrow-opening shovel and having standardscarried by the standard of said furrow-opening shovel, and check-rowoperated mechanism for controlling the discharge through the outlet orfeed opening in the hollow standard, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MANN IN GROSS.-

Witnesses:

J oHN H. SIGGERS, E. G. SIGGERS.

